She is the only girl on her team, and that became a problem recently when her squad wanted to play in the Southwest Salsa Slam. The Albuquerque Tournament follows AAU rules and doesn’t allow boys to compete against girls. Event organizers had a change of heart, however, and her father said they are going to let Bates compete.

The Bates family originally filed an injunction, calling it a civil rights violation. The family's biggest reason for doing so was to help change the rule, making competition about talent instead of gender.

“Everyone is in an uproar about this because if you go on basketball skills only she is one of the best in the state. It's to set a standard that, you know, if there are girls out there, if they can play they should be allowed to play,” said the father Barry Bates.

His daughter’s team may decide as early as Tuesday whether it will participate in the Slam.